The Dome Houses

The Dome House in the New Nglepen Village

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A. Overview

Javanese word ‘rumah’ or ‘omah’ signifies a construction of a residential building (a house) that has important meanings and is closely related to the life of people living in it. Most of the houses in Javanese villages take rectangular or cubical shape. Such houses are known as limasan or joglo.

Yet, at a quarter in Kabupaten Sleman you will find a complex of houses whose shapes are anomalous compared to usual Javanese houses. The houses are called Rumah Dome (Dome Houses), clearly due to their unique half-round (dome) shape. The model will likely remind us of Eskimo’s Iglo and Papuan Indigenous’ Honai house.

Situated in Dusun Nglepen, Prambanan, Sleman, the Dome Houses was actually built as a reaction to the 2006’s earthquake that had ruined Yogyakarta and some other surrounding areas. There was a section that underwent total destruction. It was Dusun Sengir. Being upon a hill, the houses in there were devastated as the ground sank.

In respond to the situation, WANGO (World Association of Non-Governmental Organization) and DFTW (Domes for the World Foundation) brought in an idea of building a quakeproof housing in dome-styled architecture for relocating the people of Dusun Sengir. Thenon October 10, 2006, the Dome House construction project was set out. Instead of being in Dusun Sengir, the houses were constructed in Dusun Nglepen, where the ground was level. With the fund of a single donator, Muhammad Ali Akbar, the owner of Dubai Emaar Property, the Dome House Complex was completely built and started to be inhabited by the late of April 2007.

The Dome House is the only dome house complex in Indonesia, or even in Asia. There are not more than 5 countries in the world that have such dome houses, among them are India, Nicaragua, Haiti, Paraguay, and Indonesia. Nowadays, the Dome House residents call their complex “the New Nglepen Village”.

B. Features

What makes the dome houses unique is, of course, their dome shape. If you are a fan of Teletubbies TV serials that was booming some times ago, you must think that the Dome House resembles to that of the Teletubbies. This explains why people around the complex are more familiar with the name “Rumah Teletubbies (Teletubbies’ House)” instead of “Dome House”. At distant view, the dome houses in fact look like goose’s eggs lied down on the ground.

Another feature of the dome houses is the quakeproof structure. It was built without joints that are usually the weakness of common constructions when shaken by a quake. The half-round construction was constructed using a balloon-shaped mould (airform) that was later covered with concrete. Aside from being quakeproof, the dome houses can endure strong winds speeding up to 450 km/hour. Moreover, they can last for centuries.

There are 80 units of Dome Houses consisting of 71 residences, 6 public conveniences, and 3 public facilities (a musholla [Muslim’s place of worship], a hall, and a polyclinic). Each of the residential dome houses is 7 meters in diameter, containing two floors, and spans to 38 meters square wide. The lower floor comprises four rooms including living room, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom. The upper floor functions usually as family room, although some families make this part a bedroom.

Different from the residences, the public facility dome houses such as the musholla and the hall are diametrically 9 meters long and single-floored. The dome houses for public convenience are wider than those for residence. A public convenience building has 8 lavatories for a single block constituting about 12 families.

Now that it has been three years, the land surrounding the Dome House is still plain. It is hot in there because there is no shady tree. But the situation will change as you get into one of the dome houses. Despite of being made of thick concrete, in daytime you will find it cooler inside. The average temperature in lower floor is 27oC, while in upper floor 33oC.

Aside from seeing the unique shape of the Dome Houses, tourists can also visit some tourist destinations nearby, such as Belik Wunut, Belik Cangkok, Tanah Ambles, and also the Dome View, from which people can see the view of the Dome House Complex from height.

C. Location

Dome Houses Complex is situated in Dusun Nglepen, Kelurahan Sumberharjo, Kecamatan Prambanan, Kabupaten Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

D. Access

It is quite easy to reach the Dome House Complex since it is not far from other two tourist destinations, Ratu Boko Temple and Prambanan Temple. However, if you are to visit the place, you had better use private vehicles. No public transportations operate there that you could only get to the site on foot or by ojek (motorcycle taxi), taking 2,7 km from Prambanan-Piyungan Main Road.

From downtown Yogyakarta, there are two choices of routes to reach the complex. First is through Solo-Yogyakarta Main Road. At the t-intersection near Prambanan Temple, you take the road heading south (to Piyungan). After 9 km you will find crossroads on which there is a board showing you the direction to the Dome House. Take a left turn, go straight ahead and you find the complex.

The second option is through Yogya-Wonosari Road. At the t-intersection near Piyungan market, you turn left. Within 6 km, you will see a route marker leading you to the place. Take a right turn, follow the road and you will get to the Dome House Complex.

E. Ticket Price

A ticket to the Dome House Complex is available at Rp. 1.500,-. If you want to get more information about the Dome House, you can enroll yourself in the tour package that will cost you Rp. 6.000,- a person. In the tour, you will be accompanied by a guide. You can also involve yourself in various activities such as watching the making of emping garut, village tour, and tracking to some resorts near the complex.

F. Accomodations and Other Facilities

Being a touristy village, the Dome House Complex has been equipped with a number of facilities such as an information center, a place of worship, a polyclinic, a playground area, public conveniences, a hall, and food and souvenir stores. For you who want to use the hall, the rent is Rp. 30.000,-. And if you want to have meals served for your hall-meeting, you can contact the manager to talk about the price.

You can also experience staying in one of the dome houses and mingling with the locals by joining the homestay package. It costs only Rp. 55.000,- a person and covers facilities such as staying in one of the houses for a night and lunch, dinner, and breakfast.

Last, there is the culture and art tourism package. Pay Rp. 200.000,- and you will get various traditional entertainments such as Randa Tek-tek, Jathilan, Karawitan, and solo organ performance.

Text: Elisabeth Murni
Photo(s): Collection of Jogjatrip.com
Translated: Reza Daffi
(Primary data and various sources)

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If you are from outside Yogyakarta and want to visit this place by travel agency services,
please contact:

Maharatu Tour and Travel

Jl. Sisingamangaraja No. 27 Yogyakarta.
Telp. +62 274 8373005. Fax. +62 274 379250
Email : maharatu@maharatu.com -maharatu257@yahoo.com
Website : www.maharatu.com

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